PlayStation Vue is the new cloud-based streaming service from Sony designed to offer an internet-only TV package as a replacement for cable or satellite.

The service will be available this month initially as a beta for selected PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners in the US. From there, Sony says it will roll out fully to the two consoles before it arrives on iPad and other handheld devices.

Sony currently has about 75 channels signed up for the beta through partnerships with the likes of CBS, Fox and NBC. The service will let you view live, on-demand and catch-up TV, as well as give you the ability to tag and save favourite shows.

State of the 'Station

The user interface has been developed to work with Sony's DualShock controllers although there's been no mention of whether the handheld PS Vita will also be compatible.

It looks as if the service will only be available in the US next year to begin with but could launch in the UK at a later date. TechRadar approached Sony Entertainment UK for clarification on this point and we were told: "We have nothing to announce about international expansion."

Offering PlayStation Vue as an accompaniment to its consoles is a smart way for Sony to grow adoption. Historically, the PlayStation brand has helped grow format use, from DVD with the PS2 to Blu-ray with the PS3.

"This is an opportunity, in my view, to fulfil a longer goal of transforming what was in the past a dedicated game device into a proper entertainment hub," the chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, Andrew House, told Bloomberg Businessweek.